Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 319 Startled awake from a deathbed! "Your family has 211 members?"

After taking a few calming pills, Xu Jie's complexion seemed to have become much rosier, and his pale face had regained some vitality.

Li Shizhen, who seemed hesitant to speak, was eventually stopped by Zhang Yunxiu.

Xu Jie saw Li Shizhen's concerns and shook his head with a smile.

"I originally thought this calming and tranquilizing pill was a miraculous medicine, but after entering the capital, I suddenly realized that it was nothing more than a poison to quench thirst. I suppose Shi Yuan and Physician Li had a reason for advising His Majesty to abolish it, but I was too self-righteous and ended up reaping the consequences."

"Mr. Xu, please take care of your health. If you'd like, I can offer you a diagnosis," Li Shizhen said with a helpless sigh.

"Enough~ Enough~" Xu Jie shook his head repeatedly. "Things have come to this. I am just a man clinging to life. I rely on this medicine to keep myself awake so that I can have a word with Shi Yuan."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Li Shizhen, who immediately understood and went straight out the door to wait outside with Xu Ying.

Only the old man and the young man remained in the room. Zhang Yunxiu noticed the kerosene lamp on the table, which was flickering. He couldn't help but go over and adjust the knob on the back of the lamp, and then adjusted the vent. In an instant, the dim kerosene lamp became bright.

Xu Jie, who was sitting by the bed, widened his eyes slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. Then he smiled with relief.

"The peach and plum blossoms of spring have all passed, leaving only the twilight of the mulberry and elm trees. I am old after all. I see the green hills as they are, but I do not know the mystery within. This time, Shiyuan, you have won."

"It's just a kerosene lamp."

Zhang Yunxiu sat down casually and poured himself a cup of tea.

"If Master Xu is willing to put his heart into understanding and studying it, it shouldn't be difficult."

The two men were talking about kerosene lamps, yet they were not talking about kerosene lamps at all.

Xu Jie gave a bitter smile: "Everyone makes mistakes. When you are young and strong, you can correct them, but it is difficult when you get old."

Zhang Yunxiu poured a cup for Xu Jie as well, handed it to him, and said...

"This is only natural. As people get older, they are naturally not as clear-headed as they were when they were young. They have more experience, but they also have more constraints."

Xu Jie took a sip of tea, but his hand trembled so much that he spilled half of it on himself. He wasn't angry at all; instead, he chuckled and said...

"You little brat, you dare to lecture an old man like that?"

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "Reason is reason, and it has nothing to do with age."

He pointed outside.

"Li Shenyi is a highly skilled physician, but he is completely clueless when it comes to the extraction of allicin, the development of penicillin, and a number of other research matters."

In contrast, medical students in their early twenties have made significant achievements in research.

Both sides have their strengths; respecting objective laws and cooperating pragmatically is the true "way."

"And yet you're trying to sell me some new science!" Xu Jie shook his head repeatedly, seemingly unwilling to listen.

Zhang Yunxiu said, "I just want to tell Master Xu that whether it is new learning or old learning, or Confucianism, the philosophy of mind or science, they are not incompatible. What matters is that it can enable people to live and work in peace and be applied to practical matters."

Xu Jie shook his head again: "Things have come to this point, there's no use saying anything now. There's no need for you to say anything more to me, a man who's about to die."

Zhang Yunxiu countered with a question: "I have a question. For the past six months, what has been the purpose of Master Xu's confrontation with me in Jiangnan?"

Xu Jie glared and puffed out his beard: "If it weren't for your 'loan law' that has left the Jiangnan gentry with no way to survive, why would I drag my crippled body to fight you to the death!"

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head: "Whether it's the new policies or the 'loan law,' they are all meant to provide a way for ordinary people to survive. How can they cut off the livelihood of the gentry?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jie couldn't help but feel annoyed, and he slammed his fist on the bed.

"Your artificial loom and 'loan method' are digging up the roots of Jiangnan!!!"

Zhang Yunxiu retorted, "It's nothing more than earning a little less silver. For centuries, the aristocratic families of Jiangnan have lived in luxury, constantly devouring the land of ordinary people and living a life more extravagant than the emperor. Is it so difficult for you to spit out a little silver today?"

"Is the world only like this in Jiangnan?" Xu Jie roared.

Zhang Yunxiu squinted: "Jiangnan will be the first to bear the brunt."

Xu Jie seemed exhausted again, sitting on the bed panting heavily. Xu Ying outside occasionally asked him with concern, only to be met with a scolding from Xu Jie.

After a long pause, Zhang Yunxiu said leisurely, "Master Xu was only thinking about seeking profit, but in the end he made the choice that resulted in the greatest loss."

If the gentry of Jiangnan were willing to cooperate, Zhang Yunxiu would not necessarily want to exterminate them all. After all, the transition from feudalism to capitalism is also a kind of progress.

The fact that the Jiangnan gentry were willing to cooperate was itself against common sense; they couldn't possibly remain indifferent as they watched their interests slip through their fingers.

Then you can only be defeated.

The effects of the calming and stabilizing pills seemed to have reached their limit. Xu Jie was panting heavily on the bed, and it took him a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.

"You will rise to power by this very means, and you will surely perish by the same reason! Are your policies truly perfect?"

Zhang Yunxiu also stood up, exhaled, and said.

"Master Xu still doesn't understand. There is no perfect policy or reform in the world. Every policy will inevitably have flaws. The key is to make it better than before and to be able to identify and fill the gaps at any time."

"you"

Xu Jie's face turned red, and he still wanted to argue, but his body no longer allowed it.

"Hey~"

Zhang Yunxiu sighed deeply, feeling a sense of sorrow. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully unfolded it in front of Xu Jie, revealing the root-like structure inside, resembling ginseng whiskers.

Seeing Xu Jie's rather puzzled look, Zhang Yunxiu smiled and explained.

"This thing is called sweet potato. It is a grain variety that came from overseas. I asked people to search all over Guangdong and Fujian, and finally found the family that cultivates this grain variety."

Xishan invited the cultivator to the capital, hoping that next spring they would witness the heaven-sent grain seed that yields forty shi per mu.

With Xu Gong's talent and wisdom, he should have been able to figure out what earth-shaking changes would occur in our Great Ming Dynasty if the grain seeds were produced.

Are the gentry of Jiangnan destined to cling to outdated ideas and refuse to change?

“One faction.” Xu Jie refused to believe it at all, stammering as he spoke.

Zhang Yunxiu was too lazy to explain further. He wrapped the sweet potato roots again and stuffed them directly into Xu Jie's palm.

He said with a smile.

"I wonder if Master Xu will ever have the chance to witness this. These sweet potato roots are a keepsake, so that he may not rest in peace in the afterlife."

After saying this, Zhang Yunxiu ignored Xu Jie, who was staring at him on the bed, and bowed to take his leave.

Upon exiting the room, Li Shizhen and Xu Ying stood on either side, maintaining a respectful distance.

The two of them had clearly heard the conversation inside.

Xu Ying was clearly enraged and angrily said to Zhang Yunxiu, "Does Commander Zhang really think he can rest easy? You are going against the tide and will eventually be despised by the world. Do you really think you are incomparably wise?"

Zhang Yunxiu sneered and said, "Minister Xu, you have quite the nerve. Don't you understand what's going on today?"

Ignoring the other party's impotent rage, he turned to Li Shizhen and spoke.

"Mr. Dongbi, how is Master Xu's health?"

Li Shizhen paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Without examining the patient and taking their pulse, it's truly difficult to make a decision, however..."

He hesitated for a moment.

"If Mr. Xu's spleen and stomach are damaged by the daily use of strong medicines, coupled with the sudden onset of internal heat, and given his advanced age, judging from his appearance, this is probably the case."

Li Shizhen seemed hesitant to speak, and did not continue.

Zhang Yunxiu let out a sigh of relief: "Master Xu has had a tough time. We'll send some more doctors from the medical clinic tomorrow to help him recover properly. If Master Xu leaves, it will be a great loss to our Great Ming!" The two left, exchanging words, while Xu Ying frowned and said angrily.

“Zhang Shiyuan! Stop pretending! My Xu family will find a renowned doctor to treat my father.”

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head helplessly: "Then I wish Master Xu a speedy recovery."

Speaking of which, almost all the prominent doctors in the capital have connections with Renmin Medical Clinic. Zhang Yunxiu wondered where the other party was looking for a renowned doctor.

His contemptuous attitude truly enraged Xu Ying, who spoke viciously to their retreating figures.

"Zhang Shiyuan! Do you really think you have victory in the bag? Little do you know, there are always people more capable than you!"

"Oh?" Zhang Yunxiu smiled happily. "It seems that Minister Xu has another brilliant plan?"

At that moment, the sound of knocking on the bed board came from inside the room, indicating that Xu Jie had overheard the conversation between the two parties.

Xu Ying cupped her hands towards the inside of the house and said, "Father, the situation is now settled, so it doesn't matter if we tell him."

He raised his head.

"Zhang Zhangwei is quite knowledgeable about economics. Does he think he can solve the problems in Jiangnan with economics? He is underestimating us, the aristocratic families of Jiangnan."

“Just a few days ago,” Xu Ying said smugly. “My Jiangnan aristocratic families have already sent a huge amount of silver overseas. Ten million taels of silver have crossed the ocean. They can go to Southeast Asia or Japan, but they will not stay in the Ming Dynasty!”

Zhang Shiyuan! You claim to be the patriarch of economics, surely you know the principles behind it? My Jiangnan family has cultivated the land for generations, how could we let it all benefit a mere brat like you?

So what if there's a debt? Jiangnan has lost this enormous amount of silver; let's see where you're going to make up for this shortfall. It's only causing public outrage and resentment!

"You'll regroup and start afresh?" Zhang Yunxiu raised an eyebrow. "Then come back from Southeast Asia and use this silver to seize even greater profits?"

“Those who plan well achieve great things. You’ve forced us into this situation, so don’t blame us for resorting to such a desperate measure.” Xu Ying gritted her teeth and laid out her entire plan. “When the people of Jiangnan are devastated, all the blame will fall on you?”

"Beast!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shizhen's eyes immediately reddened. He could easily guess the content of the plan from the other party's words.

It was nothing more than the Jiangnan aristocratic families making a desperate gamble, taking out all the silver they had hoarded and wiping out all the silver on the market, thus escaping unscathed.

Jiangnan lost a huge amount of silver as currency in an instant, and the imperial court could not find a way to replenish it in a short time. Jiangnan, which was already in turmoil, was bound to suffer a heavy blow.

The imperial court cannot do without Jiangnan, but Jiangnan can take money out and make a quick trip. When the people of Jiangnan are suffering unbearably and the imperial court is in constant strife, that will be the time for them to regroup and rebuild.

To be honest, this method was something that the gentry of Jiangnan would never have thought of before; it was inspired by Zhang Yunxiu.

Xu Ying smiled with a look of satisfaction on his face. He wanted to see Zhang Yunxiu's face filled with fear and anger, but the latter still smiled, which made Xu Ying feel uneasy.

Xu Ying was immediately enraged: "Zhang Shiyuan, you're about to die, and you're still pretending?"

Zhang Yunxiu retorted, "If that's the case, why are you and your son here? Isn't it no different from sending yourselves to your deaths?"

Xu Ying said with a sneer, "It's really worth it to exchange the lives of my son and me for the destruction of your wolfish ambitions!"

Besides, do you really dare to openly attack the two of us?

"Impressive! Truly impressive!" Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but exclaim. "I thought the Jiangnan aristocratic families were easily defeated, but I never expected them to have such methods."

He then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the inside of the house.

"It seems that Xu Gong's recent visits to Qipan Street to offer his advice in the snow and his meetings with me at Xishan were all attempts to buy time so that the Jiangnan group could proceed with their plans."

If the meeting is won, it's a sure thing; if it's lost, it doesn't matter much. Just go to this inn and you can continue to delay.

That's truly admirable!

In the room, Xu Jie remained silent, but through the reflection of the kerosene lamp, it could be seen that he was leaning against the bed, no longer as hunched over as before.

Xu Ying narrowed her eyes: "So what if it is? Father was just thinking of delaying for a while and was worried about what to do, but you took the initiative to deliver yourself to our door, saying that it would make you famous all over the world. So what? In less than half a month, Jiangnan will collapse, and you will be infamous for ten thousand years! You will be a sinner who brings disaster to the country and the people for all time!"

Xu Ying vented her anger to the fullest, and it's hard to say that she didn't harbor resentment from being cheated when buying glass earlier.

Zhang Yunxiu listened patiently to everything, then suddenly asked a question.

"I suppose many members of the Xu family boarded the ship to avoid the extermination of their clan?"

"What does this have to do with you?" Xu Ying roared like a mad boar. "If you have the guts, slaughter my father and me right now, and see how you explain yourself to the emperor and the world!"

Zhang Yunxiu grew impatient and cursed.

"No, can you please let me finish?"

Then he counted on his fingers.

"Eldest son Xu Fan, second son Xu Kun, third son Xu Ying, and younger brothers Xu Chen and Xu Zhi, half-brother Xu Long—this is quite a large family, probably about 211 people. I wonder how many of them will be able to return alive. I hope General Qi will have the virtue of compassion and leave some descendants for the Xu family."

Xu Ying's pupils suddenly contracted, and she angrily rebuked him.

"Zhang Shiyuan! What are you talking about? Are you trying to deceive people again?"

"A scam?"

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head leisurely and said.

"You spend your days trading at sea, so you must know the name of the 'Pirate King.' Aren't you surprised that the 'Pirate King' is invincible?"

"And then there's the economics. Since I'm an expert in economics, how could I not have noticed so much silver flowing out of the Jiangnan market? Does Minister Xu really think that the Jiangnan market is still as easy for you to manipulate without anyone noticing?"

"This is a huge sum of silver! The imperial court doesn't mind having too much silver, but there's a group of people who are guilty of hoarding, seizing land, and treason. It seems this silver will have to be confiscated."

Xu Ying took two steps back. Compared to Zhang Yunxiu's subsequent description, his accurate statement of how many members of the Xu family went to sea was enough to explain the result.

Has the Xu family's final plan fallen apart?

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head helplessly: "You have neither the right timing, the right place, nor the right people. How can you possibly win? Do you have to fight to the death?"

"Impossible! Extinction is impossible! Zhang Shiyuan, you're lying again!"

Xu Ying's hysterical state.

But Zhang Yunxiu paid no attention, turned around and left, leaving behind a casual remark.

"Let Lord Xu live. In a few days, the Xu family will be reunited, along with a whole host of prominent families from Jiangnan. Oh dear, I wonder if the Imperial Guard's prison can hold them all."

The sound gradually faded away, leaving only Xu Ying, who seemed to have his soul ripped out. He scrambled into the room and knelt down straight before Xu Jie.

"Father! This boy is a master of deception and cannot be trusted at all; he's just bluffing!"

"Did I tell you not to speak up? You beast!"

Summoning strength from who knows where, Xu Jie actually got up and slapped Xu Ying hard.

The latter covered her face and cried bitterly.

Xu Jie's body became increasingly frivolous. He stumbled backward and fell to the edge of the bed, still holding the sweet potato root in his hand. In a fit of anger, he stuffed the sweet potato root into his mouth.

When you chew the root, it has no bitter taste at all; on the contrary, it is juicy and sweet.

However, the more this happened, the darker Xu Jie's face became.

Finally, as if the sweet potato was poisonous, Xu Jie clutched his chest and let out a heart-wrenching howl.

"Zhang Shiyuan!"

In the blink of an eye, he fell straight down.

(End of this chapter)